1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a stopper storage case capable of storing in parallel a plurality of stoppers each formed as a cylinder in which a drill, used in dental implant treatment to bore a hole in which a dental implant fixture is to be embedded (this hole will be referred to as “dental implant fixture embedding hole” hereunder) in the jawbone to a predetermined depth, is to be fitted first at the free end of the blade thereof, the stopper including a spring-like engagement portion which is to be engaged on a projecting flange provided on a shank of the drill to thereby define a penetration depth of the drill. Also the stopper storage case facilitates easy attachment and detachment of the stopper to and from the drill installed to a dental handpiece, and can preferably be washed, sterilized and autoclaved sterilized while storing therein the stoppers having been used.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the recent field of dental prosthetics, there has been prevailing a dental implant treatment in which a dental implant fixture formed from titanium or titanium alloy excellent in biological affinity is embedded in a portion of the jawbone corresponding to a missing tooth and used as a substitute for the missing natural dental root via the process of a direct integration of the prosthesis with the bone, called “osseointegration”. The dental implant fixtures used in the dental implant surgery include two types, of which one is formed separately from an abutment as another part of a dental implant on which a dental prosthesis is to be fixed, and the other is formed integrally with an abutment.
Each of the dental implant fixtures of these types has to be embedded to a predetermined depth in the jawbone. To this end, a stopper to define a depth of drill penetration is conventionally installed on a drill which is used to bore a dental implant fixture embedding hole in the jawbone. In this case, the stopper is installed in a predetermined position on the blade of the drill with a screw or the like as disclosed in the Japanese Published Unexamined Application No. 501135 of 2003, for example. However, such a method is troublesome since it is required to adjust the position of installation of the stopper at each time of installation. Also, if the screw is not tightened securely, a trouble such as shift of the stopper takes place.
In these circumstances, the Inventors of the present invention have found that it is preferable to form a projecting flange integrally on a shank of a dental drill which is to be used to bore a dental implant fixture embedding hole in the jawbone to a predetermined depth in dental implant treatment and engage on the flange a spring-like engagement portion of on a stopper which is to define a penetration depth of the drill blade, since there occurs advantageously no such trouble as the shift of the stopper as in case the stopper is fixed to the drill with a screw since the flange is provided integrally on the drill shank.
By forming the flange integrally on the shank of the drill and preparing a plurality of stoppers each formed as a cylinder in which the drill first is to be fitted at the free end of the blade thereof, the stopper including a spring-like engagement portion to be engaged on the projecting flange provided on the drill shank and being destined to define a penetration depth of the drill, it is possible to define a penetration depth of the drill blade easily. However, the spring-like engagement portion of the stopper once engaged on the projecting flange on the drill shank should not easily be disengageable from the flange. That is, a strong force is required to engage the spring-like engagement portion of the stopper onto the drill flange and disengage the former from the latter. Further, these stoppers are so small that they will get scattered and lost at the time of storing, washing, sterilization or autoclaved sterilization.